Makes for Fall Color and Snow pix looking good.
Be safe all out here in Utah/Idaho/Wyoming chasing them dang elk.
Good luck, Robb
ElkNut/Paul
If you can’t enjoy the privilege of being out there without weather that’s just to your liking, you should maybe take up golf or tennis.... something you can play indoors.
I’ll say this, though... last time I got to hunt Elk, I got dumped on and it got into low 20s. My drop-away froze up and cost me a shot opportunity while a whole herd passed right below me.
That was it. No more mechanical bows; I’m better off inside of about 40 with a Stickbow anyway. And I will never hunt out there again without a nuke-proof fire starting kit . I’m pretty handy with the basics, but when EVERYTHING in the woods has been soaked with wet, sloppy snow, the temp is dropping, and you need a fire, you need it By God NOW.
Norwegians say there is no bad weather, only inadequate preparation. I always thought I was good to go, but yeah, man.... FIRE.
I will never forget last weekend of 2016 and snow coming down HARD nearly collapsing my tent......20" fell as I recall. I traipsed all over looking for fresh tracks.....and found some......of another hunter circling the same area I was.
It depends what and where I'm hunting if I welcome a little snow or not. A light dusting is ok anytime, a foot of heavy wet is not. The real question is, how will the e-bike perform on the snow, and will the cold effect the battery?
A good amount of snow can move a whole lot of Elk to lower ground, though... might have to do some serious relocation to get within MILES of a herd....
But DUUUUUDE - you got to go HUNTING! How much better does it get???
Snow in high country last 3 seasons came early and stayed North of 90.
Bow Huntin elk in snow is the bees knees. We cant all hunt AZ and NM every year!
KH~
Correct...right off the public land, on to the Private ranches! Finally found elk on public land, that I had to walk in 3 miles for each Day...good luck sneaking up on bedded elk in that crunchy crap (and yes, they were bedded before Daylight every Day).
Peak rut, silent bulls. Yeah, it was "Paradise"...lol !
Good looking out for posting this though. I doubt I'll see snow where I'm at, but it just might make someone bring some longjohns, or plan better up north.
Like most aspects in life, some good, some not so good with snow.
Good luck, Robb
Jason, I agree with you on many things, but this ain't one! ;-) I don't know what mountains you hunt, but they're certainly different from the ones I do. Thankfully, when it does snow this time of year, typically it's only on the ground for 2-3 days. Normally it does soften up by late morning, however it also dips down into the teens and 20's at night. When that softened snow crusts over during the night, it's anything BUT quiet! I'll take crunchy needles/leaves over that any day of the week. Another problem with snow is, if the bulls are talking good, where I hunt it shuts them down for a few days. Always has, no exception. Good luck going spot and stalk in the thick stuff I hunt. As I said, there's no "sneaking up" on them when you sound like a herd of elephants in a bowl of Rice Krispies. I used to love tracking snow back in the day when I rifle hunted, but I haven't done that since the early 80's. There's also other reasons, such as what Jeff pointed out.
So yes, I HATE snow during archery season. Just like I'm not fond of having to saw through a couple dozen logs before I can even begin taking care of an 800lb bull that decided to die in the worst possible hole in a sea of downfall. Nor am I a fan of being descend upon by hordes of flies, yellow jackets, and black hornets when I finally get to the point I can actually start working on the elk. Nor do I particularly enjoy being caught in a sudden windstorm while I'm in heavy timber, half of which are beetle-killed trees that are just looking for an excuse to come crashing down and ruin my day.
I've been hunting elk for a long time, and I realize it's filled with constant challenges...some worse than others. I deal with them and make the necessary adjustments, but it darn sure doesn't mean I have love them.
See? I’m NOT the only one!
:-)
The shaded area's keep the snow a little bit longer.
That's always a treat-------->
Remind me of one afternoon when I followed a doe muley and her fawns all the way down off the hill… I never quite caught up with them enough to feel like they were in range, and frankly it was just too darn peaceful out there to interrupt it anyway.